Which is the true Bond watch?

[Travelller]

Originally Posted by T. Ferguson

...Clearly that strap doesn't fit the watch...

Good catch - assuming you mean the strap-width I think it's just cool that he was wearing a NATO strap along with his white tuxedo

[buke45]

is this a joke??

[How]

Ian Fleming wrote that Bond wore a Rolex Explorer

[adzman808]

whenever Flemming gave bond a detail, it was femming speaking... drinks, food, clothes, cigarettes, flemming wasn't a wis, so when flemming wrote rolex, he meant 'the same as I have' (an explorer) - simply because if it was what flemming chose, it's what bond would of chose - bond was the juxtaposition of who flemming was Vs what he wanted to be

don't get confused - the things bond did and flemming didn't were kill bad guys, battle giant squid and be upper middle class. the things bond did, shared by flemming were, drink bourbon (& the occasion GIN martini), get tailored at saville row, eat scrambled eggs for breakfast, hate virgina tobacco, love Turkish tobacco, be a member of a mans drinking/gambling club and wear a rolex (explorer)

the model of rolex was a trivial detail for flemming... for us its major because we're wis and bond in an icon

[capote]

Considering that 90% of the Bond movies only have nostalgic or camp value there is an aweful great interest in Bond at TRF.

[ufboy73]

Originally Posted by adzman808

whenever Flemming gave bond a detail, it was femming speaking... drinks, food, clothes, cigarettes, flemming wasn't a wis, so when flemming wrote rolex, he meant 'the same as I have' (an explorer) - simply because if it was what flemming chose, it's what bond would of chose - bond was the juxtaposition of who flemming was Vs what he wanted to be

don't get confused - the things bond did and flemming didn't were kill bad guys, battle giant squid and be upper middle class. the things bond did, shared by flemming were, drink bourbon (& the occasion GIN martini), get tailored at saville row, eat scrambled eggs for breakfast, hate virgina tobacco, love Turkish tobacco, be a member of a mans drinking/gambling club and wear a rolex (explorer)

the model of rolex was a trivial detail for flemming... for us its major because we're wis and bond in an icon

sort of disgree..i dont have the books right in front of me, but he goes into great detail, usually.

he describes bonds bentley and its size of engine, he describes tiffany cufflinks (that one of the villians wore), he describes shirts made of sea island cotton, brands of briefcases, specific tobacco that bond uses in his cigs...im sure there are a lot more descriptions....

anyway, i think he could have easily referenced his own watch without much extra effort.

what he MAY have been doing, though, was keeping bond purposefully ambiguous and shadowy...in which case, he had NO specific watch, in mind, other than a rolex

[ufboy73]

Originally Posted by capote

Considering that 90% of the Bond movies only have nostalgic or camp value there is an aweful great interest in Bond at TRF.

blasphemy

[JCW1980]

Originally Posted by ufboy73

if i remember correctly, isnt the watch only described in the books as an 'oyster with luminous dial'? leaving some ambiguity around what rolex model was intended, even in the books.

the fact that Fleming wore an Explorer, himself, and yet did not name Bond's watch as an Explorer model in the book is intriguing...ie it suggests to me maybe something other than the Explorer may have been intended

In Live and Let Die, Ian Fleming wrote that bond had a 'Rolex Oyster Perpetual' with 'big luminous numerals' which lends credence to it being an Explorer model. Dell Deaton has done a lot of research and written a lot in this area; google his name and read to your heart's content.

[HL65]

Originally Posted by T. Ferguson

Not me. Notice the fit? Clearly that strap doesn't fit the watch.

And some of us like me purposefully buy smaller sized straps that show the bars and dig the look so to each his own.

[JCW1980]

Originally Posted by Tony-GB

I've actually worn the Bond ND Sub Connery wore in the earlier films. It wasn't just Cubby that gave Sean his Rolex. It was another crew member who had the same watch who also worked on American Werewolf in London. And no, he wouldn't sell it to me. It's for his grandchildren. Unfortunately it now has a service dial. I was shown alot of pics with the chap in question with Connery & on location.

Cool story.

[powerfunk]

Originally Posted by SteelerFan65

And some of us like me purposefully buy smaller sized straps that show the bars and dig the look so to each his own.

Yep! If it ain't on a 16mm strap, it ain't a Bond watch!

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[Pete26]

First wrote that Bond wore a Rolex in the 1954 published novel "Live and Let Die" "and looked at the Rolex watch on his wrist". The Explorer that Dell Deaton discovered was manufactured in 1960. So Fleming had his character wearing a Rolex in the early 50's, several years before getting the Explorer.

Both watches shown below seem a little small compared to the Rolex Explorer. I would not be surprised if Fleming was thinking about his replacement watch when he wrote this Quote from OHMSS, 'Another Rolex? probably, they were on the heavy side, but at least you could tell the time with the big phosphorous numerals". possible reasons that Fleming did not stipulate what watch Bond wore besides being a 'Rolex Oyster Perpetual on an expanding metal bracelet' is that he probably didn't have the Explorer yet, or maybe he did not like the name.

Either way, while not stipulating the watch by name, Fleming in a lot of his books in the 50's mentions the old watch with the phosphorus numerals. Novels including, From Russia with Love, Dr. No, and a few of his short stories mention the watch with the phosphorous numerals.

One thing that has always bothered me is why Bond's watch stopped in Dr.No, maybe it was a manual wind Oyster?





Cheers

Pete

[Pete26]

Originally Posted by JCW1980

In Live and Let Die, Ian Fleming wrote that bond had a 'Rolex Oyster Perpetual' with 'big luminous numerals' which lends credence to it being an Explorer model. Dell Deaton has done a lot of research and written a lot in this area; google his name and read to your heart's content.

Fleming only referred to the watch in Live and Let Die as 'the Rolex watch on his wrist', not as a Rolex Oyster Perpetual. That is only mentioned in full in OHMSS (see my post below). Dell Deaton used to frequent a lot of forums in the late 90's and this subject came up a lot. I replied on MWR I think and postulated a theory from my extensive research on Fleming that in fact Fleming had several watches, but liked the sound of Rolex as it ties in nicely with the "Fleming Sweep" style of writing. I also suggested that perhaps Fleming had picked up one of those incredible Canadian Rolex watches with the full radium numerals while he was in Camp X with Sir William Stephenson helping to set up the SOE. Dell emailed me privately and we corresponded a few times about what watch Bond may have worn, please remember that he is a fictional character.

I do know that Fleming gave Bond some of his own habits and clothing tastes, for instance Bond and Fleming liked Sea Island cotton shirts, strong black coffee and scrambled eggs made with cream,and bourbon whiskey (not necessarily in that order).

I concur that Dell has done a heck of a lot of research, but he does not have all the answers and I suspect that we will never know the full story behind Fleming, Bond and his choice of watches.

I know that the Rolex Explorer was never referenced as such, but may have inspired OHMSS, but Fleming's Bond had worn a Rolex long before the Explorer came along.

Cheers

Pete

[Lew Archer]

Fleming, in an article bout 007, remarked that Bond's watch was a Rolex Oyster Perpetual, with no further description.

I would hesitate to take that literally, though. No one knows precisely what he meant. He was a writer and literary choices sometimes have to do with the sound of certain words...for instance, he said he chose the Walther PPK for Bond because the name "rolled off the tongue" nicely (an expert had suggested a couple of different guns, and, of those, Fleming chose the Walther).

So, I'm sure Fleming liked the way "Rolex Oyster Perpetual" rolled off the tongue.

I believe he acquired his own Explorer, his first and only Rolex, after the first few novels were written and successful.

Fleming certainly modeled Bond's tastes on his own, but this is a question for which there is no definitive answer.

On thing is sure: he admired Rolex enough to have Bond buy a second one in the novel "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" after he wrecks his first one using it as an improvised knuckle duster. Bond bought the same watch again, the novel reads, for, despite its weight, it was reliable.



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[Roller07]

He wears a Sub.

[MAJSmith]

Originally Posted by Roller07

He wears a Sub.

I love James Bond. He was government employee with an upper-middle class expense account. I think the Rolex Sub was a perfect fit for a Commander in the Royal Navy.

[Andad]

Originally Posted by powerfunk

Yep! If it ain't on a 16mm strap, it ain't a Bond watch!

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That would be 18mm.

[Travelller]

Originally Posted by Pete26

...I know that the Rolex Explorer was never referenced as such, but may have inspired OHMSS, but Fleming's Bond had worn a Rolex long before the Explorer came along...

Thanks for the info, highly interesting

[OML]

As we all know originally it was rolex- Fleming, books and movies. Over the years/movies it has changed and is now omega. Swatch gets this honor simply because in one way or another they're willing to shell out money/advertisement for the bond franchise and rolex is not. My understanding is that this change had made "Q" very ill and although his death was officially listed as natural causes some believe this was at least a contributing factor.

[versatile1]

Originally Posted by Jake B

Whichever one the writer of the story/screenplay puts on his wrist...because he's not real. He's a fictional character of spy novels and movies.

What!?
You're crazy!

[T. Ferguson]

Originally Posted by How

Ian Fleming wrote that Bond wore a Rolex Explorer

Exactly where did he write this?

Originally Posted by SteelerFan65

And some of us like me purposefully buy smaller sized straps that show the bars and dig the look so to each his own.

That's exactly why I said "not me".

I thought I recall reading something about that watch actually belonging to the executive producer. So you and "Cubby" both like a little spring bar cleavage.

[GradyPhilpott]

Fleming said that Bond wore a Rolex and he did so in the early films, as Larry's post confirms.

After that, I have a feeling that Bond wears whatever watch draws the most money for product placement.

[TimeOnHand]

Originally Posted by kilyung

Neither... Seiko!

I was gonna say the same thing...

[jatco]

Originally Posted by Tools

This can't really be a serious question

However, here is the serious answer..

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=60770

/\ ..that pretty well sums it up..!! .

[Macro]

The 'real' Bond (i.e. in the books) wears a Rolex - not an Omega or Seiko. Either an Explorer or a Sub, but probably given the date of the books an Explorer.

[khoalety]

A Rolex on the left wrist and an Omega on the right wrist. Maybe a Seiko on an ankle (either left or right)?